HAMILTON, Canada

The UN on Friday described as "disturbing" a video showing Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatening jailed senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti inside Ramon Prison.

Asked about Israeli media footage in which Ben-Gvir tells Barghouti, "Anyone who kills our children or women, we will erase them. You will not defeat us," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a news conference that "the video is disturbing."

"We're aware of the video, and it's worth reminding that prisoners need to be treated in a way that abides by international law and that respects their inherent dignity," he said.

Barghouti, who looked frail and thin in the video, has been behind bars since 2002, serving five life terms plus 40 years over his alleged role in attacks during the second Intifada.

Dujarric also added that Barghouti, "like any other prisoner, needs to have his rights fully respected, and his safety needs to be ensured."

On the situation in the Gaza Strip, Dujarric warned that "the already dire situation could worsen without a reliable, rapid, safe, and unrestricted flow of supplies" into the enclave.

"Yesterday, five out of 12 missions requiring coordination with Israeli authorities were facilitated without impediments," he said, adding that the missions included collections of supplies and transfer of fuel to the north.

Saying that the organizers cancelled four missions, he explained that Israeli authorities impeded three others, while only one was fully accomplished.

He said Israeli delays, bottlenecks, and interference in aid deliveries are impacting relief efforts, noting that between May 27 and Aug. 8, the Red Cross field hospital in Rafah treated "more than 4,500 wounded patients, most of whom reported that they were injured while trying to reach food distribution sites."

"People also report being injured in the crush of the crowd or being beaten and robbed of their supplies immediately after receiving them," he said.

"It is imperative" for the UN and its partners to be able to "deliver aid at scale, using community-based mechanisms to reach the most vulnerable," Dujarric noted, warning that without such conditions and if military operations escalate, "more deaths, forced displacement, and destruction are inevitable."

"We reiterate that we will not participate in any forced displacement of the population," he affirmed, adding that those forced to flee "must be protected, and they must have their essential needs met."